Bands that were 'of their time' and then disappeared

Listening to my music collection on shuffle, and Ocean Colour Scene have just popped up. Got me thinking that they’re a classic example of a band who perfectly fitted ‘the scene’ at the time, were reasonably well thought of popularly and critically, but then just vanished as the scene moved on. One album wonders if you like.

Who else you got?

Right said Fred.

Prob more than 50% of all bands.

Prob more than 50%99% of all bands.

Prob more than 50% of all bands.

Yeah, I was thinking that too. The number of bands who get past two successful albums is pretty small…

Mumford and Sons.

That may not be a bad thing…………

Probably though some are even more of their time than most.

The Darkness are a good one I reckon.

And Morrisey but that’s maybe me. Can’t stand him 🙂

Ocean Colour Scene have just popped up. Got me thinking that they’re a classic example of a band who perfectly fitted ‘the scene’ at the time,

Did they? They seemed to be around for bloody ages churning out awful dreary dirge.

then just vanished as the scene moved on

Tour Dates

One album wonders if you like

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Colour_Scene_discography#Studio_albums

OCS are sadly still on the go.

okay, maybe I should rephrase it as “One successful album wonders if you like”.

I appreciate that there are many living dead bands…

There’s a wealth of mid 90s Britpop cack that vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Kula Shaker?
Dodgy?
Boo Radleys?

None of them missed!

The Levellers.

Apparently they’re still on the go too. Thank christ they disappeared off back into obscurity. Cider swilling, clown clothes wearing, bath-dodging, crusty tossers!

Glad it’s not just me who felt that way about OCS! (edit: and the Levellers! Nice one binners 🙂 )

There were loads from the baggy era, britpop, new punk. Some good some bad:
Menswear (on the comeback I believe, terrible)
Northside
S*M*A*S*H
Compulsion
Mock Turtles
Flowered Up (awesome!)
Paris Angels
World Of Twist

There’s a wealth of mid 90s Britpop cack that vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Kula Shaker?
Dodgy?
Boo Radleys?

I’ll give you Dodgy and Kula Shaker, but Boo Radleys were a cut above. They’d been around a good while before they cashed in on Britpop with Wake Up Boo. Giant Steps (1993) is a stunning album.

S*M*A*S*H

Loved S*M*A*S*H. May have to go listen to them now 🙂

The rest pretty terrible.

Some bands even manage the trick of being uncool before they release an album Gay Dad spring to mind, probably Andrew WK too (over here) though I was never quite sure The NME weren’t just trolling with that fad.

Remaining Kula Shaker fans to breed

The Shaman spring to mind, and I’m sure there are a few others around that time I’ve forgotten about.

binners – Member
The Levellers.
Apparently they’re still on the go too. Thank christ they disappeared off back into obscurity. Cider swilling, clown clothes wearing, bath-dodging, crusty tossers!

They run a yearly festival in East devon. Beautiful Days. Supposed to be quite good.

Therapy?

Although they never “disappeared”, more continued ploughing their own rather darkly humorous and twisted furrow.

Deee-Lite – Groove Is In The Heart, etc.

Baa Kid K, PMJ?

Agree with muzzle,giant steps is an amzing album,one of my favourites,bombjack your’re talking through your arse.

Saw The Levellers at York Uni before they got well known. The support act was Rambling Johnny Stomach Pump and the Village Idiots. To be fair, The Levellers seemed really good after that!

Oasis. Were OK at the time but would you listen to them now?

I wouldn’t listen to them at the time (Oasis). Massively overrated.

Ocean Colour Scene and Oasis? You’ve just listed 2 of my favourite bands there, how dare you.

probably Andrew WK too (over here) though I was never quite sure The NME weren’t just trolling with that fad.

I agree, and yet when I heard “party hard” on the Android TV advert a few months ago, I found myself going “aaah, Andrew WK” (in a positive way). He was good live too, insofar as he knew his place, and delivered!

He was good live too, insofar as he knew his place, and delivered!

Certainly was, if he’d been around in the 80s people would go all misty eyed at his name.

Ocean Colour Scene and Oasis? You’ve just listed 2 of my favourite bands there, how dare you.

You need to get out more, lunge 😆

The Shaman spring to mind

Never heard of them… oh you mean that short-lived band The Shamen with their 10 albums from 1987 to 1998! Flash in the pan that lot 😆

The Shirehorses

Propaganda
Bloc Party
CSS
Empire of the Sun
Man or Astro-man?
Porcupine Tree
The XX

God this thread is a goldmine of….no……wait. What’s the opposite of a gold mine?. Is there such a thing as a shit mine?

The Levellers.Apparently they’re still on the go too. Thank christ they disappeared off back into obscurity.

I saw them at the Hop Farm a couple of years ago, they were excellent.

The Rembrandts

The Beatles

I must say when I saw this thread ‘Menswear’ was the first thing that jumped into my brain

Also filed firmly under the ‘where are they now?’

Sleeper (Had a bit of a thing for the singer back then)
The Lightning Seeds

The fact is the the vast majority of music that’s popular at any given point tends to fade into obscurity, look at a U.K. top 40 singles from 20 or 30 years ago and see how few bands are still remembered now.